Process for the reduction of copper ore.



No. 879,530. PATENTED FEB. 18, 1908.

. LQDURAND. PROCESS FOR THE REDUCTION OF COPPER ORE.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN.12, 1907. v

INVENTOR 2 8; I2 TIGAC. 7479 OQQMM 7ZJATT0RNEY a I i i i ilhliTED hiTfiTEn ii LOUIS DURAND, OF DUMO To all wi ton'i may NT, xcw Jicnsni', i'xssiouon o r ONEFIF 01" NEW YORK, N. Y.

Application filed January I Specification of Letters Patent.

12.1907- Serizd No. 351.931.

Be it known that I, LOL'IS .DURAND, n citizen of the United States of st Duniont, in the Statc of New invent-ed certain ne America, residing Jerse have w and useful improvements in Processes for the Reduction of (lopper Ore, of which the following is spcciiication.

My invention relates to a process for the reduction ol copper and it consists in iirst red spongy state and then separating the pure associated products.

accompanying ried into practical el ores ucing jsaid ores to n- .niclting same and molten copper from its process and invenparticularly 1 will an appafeet.

In these druwin 's l i 'ure 1 re rescnts a Vertical section of said detail View on the l is tr detail View of at said apparatus Fig. tion of the some par grate in position.

In those drawings having; a compartment 2 apparatus Fig. 2 is inc 2--2 of Fig.

4 is n detail vertical socts shown in Fig. l, with 1 represents a furnace .lor the reception ol the copper ore, sealed at the top by means of the lollow in'g struc-l' squnre in shape, her of n rubber or 'othc corcr 5 arranged to to rest upon the pad as shown to c'llcct a scaling. cover 5 can be raised or lowered a chain 6 connected 5, at 7, the said chain nu At 3 is :1 pocket, ing' at the bottom therer pad 4 and a hood or Y to a metallic state li i o l 7 grate which i. employ in enter the pockets 3 and 4, water being provided .with the hood or cover Wing on u puller S and provided with u counter-'poising or balillltfillg' weight ll. Vido a new supply ment 2, the hood or manner described an When it is dcsircd to pro of ore to tho coinpnrt cover 5 is rinsed in the id the ore can be intro duced and thorcal'tcr the hood or cover can be brought d be eil'ectcd.

At 10 I show own and ti 1c seal, {LS shown, can

a channel for receiving and retaining the grate 11 when it is desired to insert the latter tl 10 so that.

from beneath the same.

sists of a number of necting web 13 near for t 'io copper ore above the he purpose of sustaining line of said channel the copper sponge can be removed The grate 1] con' prongs 12 hitting a contheir outer ends the said The hood or by means ol' @Fidilfiil TH 'lO RUBEN O. QURRIE,

OCESS FOR THE REDUCTION 0F GDPPEB ORE.

Patented Feb. 18, 1908.

prongs being llnt on the top and coming; to a point or apex at t he bottom and having a trznno 1- cast intr rrnll therrwrilh and n rack 15 located central chain 16 is provider at :1 point 17, the pended and tru vcling' on the l of the ironic 14. l attached to tl said chain 16 A ie frame 1%: being; suspulley 18.

When it is desired to introduce the grate into the ore clnnnbi position shown in horizontal parallel with the cl pose of mnnipulut ways 1.) wlnch sup position so as t 1*2 it is let down from the Fig. 1 and brought to a o occupy :1 line muncls it) For the purin the some provide .1 port the grate while it is being lorccd into the chumbcr 2, and I also provide a pinion 2U operable by n shaft 21. The pinion 20 intcrincshcs with the ruck 15 rind l'orccs the grate into ll and brings it to t thev CHI) 22 l hiring lo permit ll 10 introduction 1c ore chamber position shown in Fig. t, been previously removed of the grate. i

also provide a pocket 23 which is adopted to catch any copper dcntnllr stick to the grate Ll druwul. A cap 2% pocket 2.? is provid moral of any coppe into the pocket.

\\ hen the ports are in in Fig. t the grate hctwccn. the cleinci withdrnw from the which i wish to re tion.

sponge which may acciduring its withon the outer end of the cd so at to permit the rer sponge which may come the positionr shown 11 interposcs a barrier its which I now desire to compartment 2 and those tnin therein for further arc- The elements which i. wish to detain in the compartment 2 lie above the grnto and those which I wish below.

At 26 1 provide By opening and other ele grate 1 l. are pushed her hereinafter descri hung byn link ing suspcndcdnt structure and n pil ceiving the door w eing thus remove the door ulation.

At 32 I show a c of the fuel preferably wood charcoal produces the reducing agent.

the door 25 u 'troduccd into the port 26 the ments 2? on a crane to withdraw are located a port having a door 25.

rabble may be incopp'er sponge lying underneath the into the sur needing chem bed' The door 25 is 28 the latter hepoints 29 to the frame of the lnr 30 is provided for rehen the copper sponge is d, and a handle 31 upon providesmcans for its easy maniphznnbcr for the reception which The chamber 32 is divided by the wall 33 into the chain bers 34 and 35 an d it is provided with an erased upper extension 36 which affords means for fluxed with appropriate material, (say silica),

storing the charcoal before it is introduced into the chamber 32. It is provided with a sealing device similar to the sealing device of the ore chamber 2-, and the reference letters employed in describing one sealing device-is applicable to, and correctly describe, the other sealing device.

At 37 I provide a trap door which holds the charcoal in the chamber 36, the said door being hinged at 38 to the frame work. A handle 39 is provided and a spring bolt 40 which can enter upper and lower notches 41- ol the segment 42 and maintain the said trap door in the closed position shown in Fig.- 1, or in an open position. Twyers 413 are provideo. which introduce heated air into the chambers .35, at the bottom thereof and through the openings 44. l secure this heat ed air from a heating chamber (not shown), and l utilize the gases arising in the ore chamber Z by drawing them oil through a pipe' l5 and leading them by means of a pipe 46 to the said air heating device (not shown), for assisting in the creation of the heatin-the said heat generating device.

At 4-7.1 show a channel leading from the chambers 34, 35, and at 48 I show a reverberatory chamber into which the copper sponge and its associated elements enter after they are thrust from the chamber 2 by way of the port 26. When the heated air enters the chambers 3 :55, and comes i contact with the body of the wood charcoal in said chambers, the oxygen of the air combines with said charcoal and forms a mixture of CO and ()0 in about equal propon trons; thebody or bed of charcoal is brought to and maintained at a state of incandescenc e, and the size or volume of this bed is so fixed or proportioned that the'result will be as aforesaid a mixture of C0 and CO in substantially equal proportions; this mixture passes into the reverberatory chamber or furnace 48 where the copper sponge is melted; the temperature of the gases entering the chamber being at melting heat; the gases escaping from this chamber after the melting of the copper sponge have a lower temperature, but they have retained all of their reductive powers and; hate the proper temperature to convert cop pcrore into copper sponge. The heat produced by the generation of this mixture of cs is strong enough to melt the copper sponge which is in the chamber ol the riwcrbcra i y l'urnace l8 and the balance of the gaseous mixture has heat enough, u 'Jicnitrcachcstbc Cllitll] her 2, to reduce the copper orc tothespongy state and any lien contained in. the ore to proto rid of iron. The time required for the fusion of the material introduced into the reverberatory furnace is ractic'ally the same as that used for the red .ction. When the melting point is reached the protoxid of iron being a fusible silicateof iron is produced which.

rises to the top of the bath of molten metal the copper ore are treated at the same time with reducent gas at proper temperatures double the metal can be produced per day as the reduction is at the same time as the melting; there istherefore no loss of time in making the copper sponge and melting it. i take out one ton of molten metal made from copper sponge and then introduce another ten of copper sponge from the chamber 2 which is ready to go in, so every six hours I have one ton, or two tons, etc. according to the capacity oi the apparatus. A mixture of CO and CO giving really a heat generation of sullicient high temperature to heat and melt any copper sponge and losing some of their heat at the further end ofthe chamber 48 the gases possess a lower temperature as'they pass into the ore reducing compartment A mixture of equal quantities of carbonic oxid (CO) with carbonic acid gas (00 is reducer'it enough to extract 8% of oxygen from the peroxid of iron in the ores and brihg the same to a state of protoxid containing 22 of oxygen and it is also reducent enough tobring copper ore to a state of metallic sponge. s

In my present invention and by this process l produce asteady current of a mixture of CO and CO with original melting tern perature of generation. passing through a reverbcratory furnace where the copper sponge is melted; the gases, after their te nporature has been reduced during themeltmg of the copper, 'pass to the compartment containing the copper ore to be reduced to copper sponge. 'lhc peroxid of iron contained in the ore is reduced to piotoxid and.

cannot mix with the copper in. the melting furnace and a flux being applied to it (say silica) a silicate of iron is formed which is fusible and which comes to the surface of the bath and is skimmed out with the slag.

It is to be noticed that the gases previously entering the reverberatory furnace at melting heat do rot lose any of their inherent reducing pro ')erties during the melting of the copper since the gas merely acts as a heating agent, the copper being already in a reduced state, The gases arrive at the reduction chamber with theirreducent qualities iminipaircd More particularly the operation. of my process in the said apparatus is as follows: 'l he ore to be reduced is introduced at the ill) top of chamber 2 the sealing device being temporarily removed vtor that purpose. The heated air in the meantime has been introduced through the twyers 43 and is bcing forced through the bod'v ol charc in the chambers 34, This body of heated air in passing through the charcoal is resolved into (U and (O and nitrogen and arrives in the reverberator chamber at a temperature having heat units sullicicnt to bring;

the copper sponge in the reverberatory chamber to {t molten condition are subtraeted and the gases pass on and-out oi the reverberatory chamber into the chamber of reduction at a. lower temperature and with tlieirreducent qualities unii-npaired it is a matter of great cconomj and of high commercial importance that I am enabled to use the gases first for heating and melting"v and subsequently for reduction.

In iarrying my process into ell'cc also will be seen that I apply reducii'igcuts to the ore in the form of gases only: I have found that the dire -t application of fuel other than in the gaseous l'orm prevents the formation of copper sponge.

In oarrying my invention into ell'ect also I apply these gases to the o :ppcr ores at a reduc ent temperature. A .nperature largely in excess of this operates with such rapidity that it transforms the ore directly from its primal stateinto a stetepl' pasty or muddy fusion. It the special desigrrot my present invention to obviate such an action.

' Having thus described my inventirnn the following is What I claim new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1' The process for reducing copper ore whiclrconsists in subjecting copper sponge to the action of redueent gas at a melting temperature, thereln; melting the sponge and at the same time reducing the tempera-- ture ol the gas, and utilizing the gas at its reduced temperature to make more copper spoi'ige. I 1

2. The process of treating copper ore which consists in reducin the copper in the ore to spongy condit' ion, melting the sponge by means of a reducer t at high idilllgfl'ilture the as bcim thereby lowered in temperature and reducing further amounts ol -iop per orc by ture.

3. The process ol' ZOilllfllng popper ores which consists in first reducing the copper inthc orc to cop; sponge, then withdrewing the said mm c sponge into a separate chimiber, ding 21 proper llux rind bringing the coppe" sponge to e molten condition, and 'lulrmring the molten copper and the slag by separate means. i

4. The prorcss ol reducing copper ores -which consists first in reducing the copper in said gas alt-its lower ten'iperathe ore to copper sponge, lbcn drawing oil the copper sponge and other products associated thcrcwith lrom the bottom ol' the reduction chamber and introducing them immediatclx' lhcrclrom intoanother chamber, and brin ri 1 thc copper sponge to a molten state by passing thcrelhrough to the reduction chamber.

5. The proccss hereinbclorc described of first reducing thc copper in the ore to copper spoiwe by means ol roduccnt gases and then immediately bringing the same to a molten condition by means of gases at a melting temperature, i

6. The process of reducing copper ores which consists in generating carbonic oxid and oarboni 1 acid gas from the same body of charcoal, conducting said gases to a compartment containing copper ores, bringing said copper ores to copper sponge, then withdrawing'said copper sponge into a separate cbamher and bringing it toa molten condition and finally withdrawing the molten copper and other products separately,

7. The process ol producing; metallic cop per from copper ores which c msists in subjecting the ore to a rcduccnt at it suitable temperature which will reduce the copper ore to copper sponge, and the iron in the ore to protoxid of iron, and then bri ging the copper sponge to a molten condition.

8. The process hercinbelore described of bringing copper orc to a metallic and molten state by means of a single body of gases which first melts the copper already reduced and then passes to the reduction chan'iber for reduction purposes at a proper temperature and with its rcduccnt qualities unimpaired.

9. The arocess subs antially hcreinbefore described for bringing copper ore to a mete-Hie and niolten state through the operation of the following"sequential acts, first, pz-issiug e blast of hot air through a bed of cbrcoel so arranged to produce resulting gases of which carbonic oxid and 50% carbonic acid second, passing soid resultant gases tl'u'ouglz a chamber containing co r sponge and other prmlucts of a copper ore reduction chmnbcr whereby the copper sponge brought to molten condition, third, convcying the said gases with their temperature lowered but with their reducent qualities imimpaired to the reduction chamber, and, fourth, reducing the copper orc in tho rcduerion chamber to copper sponge by me s of said is spccilioetion signed and ritnessed this 31st day of Deoemberi-l. I1, 1906.

- LOUIS DURAND.

Signed in the presence of RUBEN C. CURRIE, Henson"; *Zrrroirr. 

